I'm Game
by linear.salo
Summary: Karashi was orphaned at a young age, quickly falling victim to the orphanage's system. She lived life on the run until meeting Leon, an information broker and the murderer of her family. Her life took a turn for the better until she is sent to Kunugigaoka school where she has to deal with a bio-genetically engineered octopus as a teacher. Nothing stays normal for long.
1. I'm Game

My brother's scream pierced the cold night air and I clung onto my notebook, willing my whimpers to subside as loud footsteps echoed down the hall. They were coming and I would die here without achieving anything, without anyone knowing, without anyone caring. That was the cold reality that consumed my every thought.

I wanted to run, to bolt from under the wooden table and hurl myself out of a window, alas, despite being on the third storey of the building, there was no window in my father's lab. I had no chance of survival. I was dead the moment that man had entered the threshold.

A pair of black combat boots stopped at the edge of the table and I held my breath, begging my shaking body to calm itself. A gloved hand grasped my hair and I screamed. Not in pain, my pain receptors had been numbed after the first year of experiments my father had carried out with my body. No, I was screaming out of fear as I was dragged out from under the table and dangled a few feet from the ground.

Terror paralysed my body like poison and my mind finally kicked into gear, assessing the intruder through wide, green eyes. He was cloaked from head to toe in a black combat suit and had bright blue eyes that impaled me with a sense of impending doom. His black hair was dishevelled, hanging limp over familiar features. His decievingly soft featured face was similar to my mother's and my own.

Death, the man reeked of blood. The metallic smell hit my face, causing me to choke on my own breath. The man seemed to be regarding me in the same predatory manner that my father would as he experimented. His eyes scanned my six-year-old body for any signs of danger, trying to decide if I was a threat or an easy kill. His actions were only natural in the business of assassination. You could tell from the way he moved that he was a seasoned assassin, young enough to control a fight but old enough to be wary of his opponent. He slowly lowered me to the ground.

I was only a child to him, a girl that had been used as an experiment for her father and a toy for her brother. In the end, that's what I always was. I watched him warily as he knelt down to reach my level and held out a hand expectantly.

"I was ordered to kill criminals..." his voice rumbled, slow and cautious as he spoke, "Not a child."

My heart held relief and respect as I dug my hand into the pocket of my blue pants, reaching for the object that the man wanted and that I had hidden away.I obediently pressed a black hard-drive against the man's gloved hands, surrendering the last remnants of my father's work and my own past without a second thought. It soon disappeared into the pockets of his vest and he nodded appreciatively.

"Good luck," he mumbled and disappeared from the house, taking with him the lives of my father and elder brother.

My knees went weak as soon as he left and I collapsed on the ground in a shivering mess. My arms were bare and a deathly pale, my eyes bloodshot and legs curled against my chest as I rocked gently on the wooden floorboards. I was free, no longer bound by the two males who had turned my existence into a curse. I would no longer have 2,000 volts of electricity passed through me for the sake of science or be woken with a kick to the stomach or sadistic laugh.

They were dead and I was free.

I, Karashi, was free.

\--2 years later

I sprinted for the nearest exit, black backpack clinging to my small figure as I rocketed through the small forest that separated the orphanage from the city. Torch lights flashed through the tree foliage and I picked up my pace, scaling the chain link fence before anyone could catch me and drag me back to the irritatingly beige walls of my third orphanage this year.

I didn't stop running until the fruit shop came into view. My stomach growled viciously and I cursed myself for not eating enough before my grand escape. The shop was surprisingly still open although it was almost midnight and I quickly ducked inside, bringing out some cash and grabbing some peaches. Oh, how I love peaches.

The cashier raised a questioning eyebrow at the appearance of a scruffy looking eight-year-old and I shrugged at her unasked questions.

"Parents forgot dinner," I lied and made my way out of the shop with the hood of my navy-blue jumper drawn over my head

I wasn't too suspicious looking, I think. My ripped jeans were common and my trainers were comfortable enough to run in.

I was prepared this time. Yes, it was my third orphanage break-out this year. I was honestly surprised that they hadn't arrested me yet, but then again, I was only eight. Maybe I'd be sent to a psych ward next time, I thought with an evil grin. It would be reasonable considering the fact that every child I've met says that I'm mentally unstable and a freak.

Why am I talking about next time? I will never go back to the obnoxious, egotistical brats that inhabit orphanages. They had teased and taunted me in a pathetic attempt to gain a sense of superiority and dominance. Their lives depend on their social status and how others viewed them. Pathetic. I understood the overwhelming urge to prove yourself more than anyone but letting temptation control you was unthinkable.

I continued to trudge depressingly towards the public library. No one acknowledged me as I slipped inside and nestled in an alcove with the book on science that I had begun reading on the previous week's library trip, before my daring escape.

Hahaha, 'daring'. All I had done was make some smoke bombs, set of a fire alarm and run. I was about seven chapters through the book when the sun finally rose, waking me from my silent reverie. My insomnia was relatively controlled but my reading habits tended to encourage the lack of sleep. I sighed, shoes scuffing the concrete path of a car park as I rounded the corner of a building. My black hair hung low over my eyes, my hood up to block the cold wind that had begun to stir during the night.

The sun glowed faintly on the horizon of buildings, casting shadows over the streets and warming the city. A rough tug twisted my body sideways and I stumbled backwards, regaining balance as a raggedly dressed boy reached for me. Damn, here I was hoping to have a calm morning, I cursed and ducked away from the boy's fist. My last brawl in the orphanage came back to me in a rush as I swerved from the next attack, my mind kicking into gear as a surge of energy rushed through it.

There were three in total, all a few years older than me but thankfully unskilled. They were just as new to street fighting as I was. Despite my numerous orphanage escapes and history of being bullied, I was still inexperienced in combat. A girl came up from behind me and I dropped to the floor as she aimed a knockout punch that ended up hitting her friend. A rough hand grabbed my hoodie and lifted me off the ground and I instinctively twisted.

"Idiots," I muttered and delivered a roundhouse kick to the boy's suddenly panicked face.

He let go to clutch his face and I slid between the two males and swept one of his feet, axe-stomping on his stomach to keep him down. If any spoke, I ignored their trash talk and pleas. The girl tried to grab me and I quickly struck the pressure point in her arm, taking the opportunity to twist the limp limb before leaving her writhing in pain on the floor. The last standing boy got into a defensive position and I knew the element of surprise was gone. I couldn't win this fight when cornered against a wall.

"That's enough," a male voice spoke out and a hand settled firmly on my shoulder before I could make a run for it.

I stiffened immediately, the shock of the silent appearance sending shivers down my spine. I hadn't even noticed him.

"Will you calm down, kid? You can't fight forever," his words were calming and I felt them wrapping around my mind.

Maybe he was right. Maybe... I wanted to believe it and found my tensed muscles slowly relaxing with his encouragement.

"Karashi?" he inquired again, this time turning me to face him.

He bent down so my eyes were level to his own and my mind froze in its tracks. Ice-blue eyes stared at me with an inescapable intensity. His face was all too familiar although I hadn't seen him in two years.

"H-Hai," I stuttered and felt his hand grab mine.

Did he remember me? He gave me a warm smile but the mischievous glint in his eyes didn't escape my attention. He remembered. The assassin let the trio of thieves limp away and guided me towards his own car, a silver SUV.

"Are you alright, Karashi?" he asked absentmindedly.

"Do you have a name?" I mumbled, my voice cracking from its lack of use.

"Leon," he answered in an amused tone.

I just nodded and jumped in the passenger seat, buckling my seatbelt and placing my backpack at my feet. Screw stranger danger, the trust I had in him was stronger than anything else I'd experienced. The ride was silent but all the while, my mind was racing more than it ever had before.

How had he found me? Why had he helped me? This was going to be fun.

"Thank you, Leon," I whispered and saw him smile out of the corner of my eye.

"No problem, kid," he chuckled.

He's not going to give any answers for a long time, I sighed.


	2. Kyota

Long fingers handled the pencil with ease, my fingers, guiding the pencil's dancing tip over the worn paper and finishing Leon's designs for a circuit board. My work complete, I turned to the black-haired male beside me.

No blue eyes met my green ones. Instead, slouched back in the uncomfortable metal chair was my legal guardian. His sleep was peaceful, so different to my own. A small smile warmed my face but it soon faltered, my hands balling into a fist.

Why?! Why are you leaving me?!

He left once and now he's doing it again, leaving me behind with some woman, leaving me alone in the dark. Something wet trickled down my cheek and I wiped away a hot, salty tear. I wouldn't cry for him. Just tell me why? Please... Why does this hurt more than being tortured by my father?

How can you sleep so soundly when I'm here next to you crying, shaking and dying inside?

I thought that he cared, maybe he does, maybe that's why he's leaving. To protect me from his enemies, the spies and assassins he assists as a job.

"So selfish," I whispered, "Abandoning me because you feel responsible."

Go then, run away and cast me aside like everyone else. These wounds will heal over time but I will never forget your choice. I will remember everything...

My father chaining me to a wall, the jolts of energy that shook my body, each substance injected into my veins, the crazed smiles my brother wore, every drop of blood that stained my family's corpses, blood that you spilled. Your encouraging smile will be forever lodged in my mind, along with all the worried glances that you thought I couldn't see. I will remember you and when you come back, I will turn away and forget. Then, you will know my pain.

I am only twelve years old, remember that when you wake to see my eyes void of life and know that this is your fault. No, I know that's a lie. The fault is mine. I shouldn't have thought that you were different. I should have seen that all people are the same, inflicting pain to satisfy themselves. Maybe, you could've been different and it's never too late to change but I know you won't.

Three hours passed and I watched Leon leave from the front door as another car pulled up. I sighed and wiped my face clean of emotion, preparing myself for my next challenge. Long, brown curls, smiling, cerulean eyes, soft, innocent face, curvy figure.

"Hi, I'm Satsumei, Kyota," the woman chirped, her hand outstretched as I stood in the doorway to the house that Leon had left me.

"Liar," I said, emotionless as I shifted to let my new legal guardian pass.

I had little doubt that she was in the same business as Leon, working for a branch of the ministry of defense. The woman's demeanor immediately became cold.

"Leon was right, you're smarter than you look," she spoke, eyeing the messy, black hair that shadowed my eyes from view.

I ignored her comment and silently shoved my hands into the pockets of my grey jumper, twirling a piece of wire in between my fingers. Kyota made her way into the lounge with me trailing closely behind her.

"Your room's on the right," I mumbled and she propped her bags against the blue queen-sized bed.

Abandoning her bags, she strode over to the left room, my room, and shoved open the door. Light shone through the window that occupied the far wall of the room, illuminating an array of unfinished projects that were scattered across the long wooden worktable that had been placed beneath it.

A single bed was crammed into the far-right corner of the room, allowing easy access to the en-suite door that was also on the right. The left side of the room held a filled-up pin board and a set of drawers. The walls were cedar-brown with hand-painted white leaves at the top that resembled the beginning of fall. I stared blankly at the familiar scene from behind a slack-jawed Kyota.

"I was half expecting corpses," she explained and I smiled with amusement.

Maybe she wouldn't be too bad to have around.

"Ah! It smiled!" the woman screamed when she turned to face me and I rolled my eyes.

I spoke too soon.

"Well, dear, I'm your new guardian so you'll have the name Satsumei, Karashi now. Leon has insisted that I home-school you, but he didn't specify how long," she mumbled the last part.

I frowned. I hadn't been taught by anyone before, usually, I'd study in the library and learn from helping Leon with his work.

Kyota saw my frown and chuckled darkly while a foreboding aura surrounded her. Goosebumps spread across my skin and my heartbeat accelerated. What is this feeling? It shook me to the core and a whimper escaped my throat. Who have you left me with, Leon? What is she?

"I'm one hell of a teacher, Karashi. You'll be a genius in no time at all," she said so slowly and threateningly that my muscles involuntarily prepared for an attack.

"Don't worry," she cooed, bending down to whisper in my ear, "I won't kill you."

"What are you?" I choked out and in a second the tension in the air disappeared.

"Sorry, dear!" Kyota gave me a closed-eyed smile and I almost blacked out from shock.

"Split personality. Extremely bi-polar," she shrugged as if it explained everything.

Why does the world hate me?

"Leon thought you would cope better with someone with a similar past."

I was taken back by the comment.

"He told you," I felt my anger bubbling and Kyota giggled at my reaction.

"He didn't have to, dear. I recognise an experiment when I see one," she giggled.

"What do you mean?! How can you just know?!"

"Ku, Ku, look at your hands when you aren't in control," she teased and I angrily did as she said, stopping in my tracks when I saw traces of static and electric sparks on my fingers.

"No!" I screamed and fell back to the wall but the sparks only increased.

I clutched my hands to my chest, begging the memories of my childhood to return to whatever dark abyss they had crawled from.Why did my father do this to me, make me a freak, a monster? Why was I breaking to pieces? Why was I so weak? Tears were pouring down my face as Kyota stalked up to me, staying a safe distance from the electric charge while ordering me to calm down. Why?!

There was that question again. Why was the world so merciless, demanding, unforgiving and unforgetting?!

The first time I had handled electricity was at the age of three and my father, an obsessed scientist, had marveled at the discovery, turning me into his new experiment seeing as my mother, his last patient, had died during childbirth from whatever chemicals he had injected into her during the 9 months prior. I was an experiment. My body was biogenetically engineered to conduct electricity. It was the cause of my insomnia.

Theoretically, it was supposed to enhance my brain processing and accelerate the speed of my normal body functions. I was freak, a girl who survived years of experimentation only to have to live a lie because the truth was too much for people to accept. Even Leon had no knowledge of the extent of my father's work. I had hidden it well, yet, this woman had blown off my act like dust from an old book.

"Why do I have to be like this, live like this?" I cried and Kyota's eyes softened understandingly.

"Because life asks it of us, Kara, and one day, maybe, you'll be strong and wise enough to understand why."

I cried because life was hard.It beat you down and expected you climb right back up and walk it off. I wanted to be that strong, that fearless. To stare death in the face was easy but life asked for more than eternity, it asked for a commitment, a promise. A promise to live.


	3. End of the road

To my Book of Chaos...

I like to think that my past had simply been a dream, a ghost designed by my imagination, but the scars across my arms always jolt me back into reality. It's funny really, the way memories can change you. It's been a year since Leon left and I'm fourteen now. Living with Kyota gets more difficult each time she finishes an assassination mission.Sometimes, it's like she's in her own world, but then again, everyone is.

Kyota's helped me find out more about the experiments done on me and now, I can at least remove the electric charge from my body to stop the static from burning everything I touch. Even my insomnia has lightened.She let me assist by hacking security systemsafter I scored high on the military of defense's IQ test. Apparently, that makes me a genius.

Yet, I feel as if I know nothing. Maybe It's the gap in experience that leaves me feeling empty and lost. I have no direction to move in, no ultimate goal to strive towards, no purpose. Perhaps, that is why I've been enrolled in Kunugigaoka junior high.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

I stared blankly at the roof of my room, ignoring the sound of gunfire echoing from behind my closed bedroom door. My uniform was ironed with four empty battery packs strapped under my sleeves to absorb any lingering electrical charges. The black fingerless gloves on my hands were also lined with electrical insulators as an extra precaution. I took a deep breath, savoring possibly my last taste of freedom before the start of my first school year.

The anxiety that swirled in my stomach held me in thought as I lay on my bed with my eyes closed. The invisible battle raging in my mind soon produced a victor. I would not let my lack of social skills deter me from the path I'd set for myself. I pulled my body upwards, releasing my fears in a heavy sigh. The door went flying across the room and my green eyes followed its path until it crashed against my work bench, scattering papers through the air.

"What the hell are you doing?! Get ready!" my legal guardian screeched with such intensity that I immediately cringed.

"Patience is a virtue," I growled at the woman who had been awake since dawn and had only just realised I was procrastinating and not asleep.

Kyota's brown hair was a terrifying display of bedhead and her red shorts and tank top were stained with mysterious substances that needed no further contemplating. Kyota huffed at my response and marched out of the room with her head held high in her usual manner. I tugged on the two strips of white in my naturally black hair, mulling over how she'd been able to dye them white when 1: I was a very light sleeper, 2: She was by no means quiet, and 3: I have the reflexes to kill her if she touches me.

"Hurry up and get ready!" Kyota bellowed and like a good child, I followed her orders.

Kunugigaoka junior school, one of Japan's finest establishments and highest ranking schools.

Sounds boring, I thought, unimpressed as I flicked through the pamphlet.

"You're going to make so much trouble," Kyota grinned madly as she turned right at the intersection.

Sure...

I was skeptical about that comment. It would probably be like theorphanage with annoying kids and dictating adults.

"It'll be different," Kyota remarked, reading my thoughts in her usual creepy and unnerving way. Bloodypsychopath.

"Think of it as one of your circuit things," she hummed.

I scoffed at her attempt to compare school to something she knew nothing about. At the same time, I was touched that she'd tried.

"This time, you have more bits to deal with."

"Like a game?" I helped and her eyes sparkled.

"Yes! Like a game," she cooed and ruffled my hair.

Her unfounded obsession with games had rubbed off on me, much to my own distaste.

"Oh, I won't be home for the next few days. I have an assignment," Kyota gave me a concerned glance.

"Eyes on the road!" I screamed as the SUV swerved.

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Can it, brat!"

Kyota dropped me off at the school gates and floored it like there was no tomorrow. So much for the special moment. I sighed but smiled all the same, heading into the building with my journal and pencil in hand.

Tick, Tock.

Tick, Tock.

How am I supposed to bloody think with that annoying noise and a purple eyed principledissectingme with his stare. Asano, Gakuho sat with his elbows on his desk and hands clasped. His gaze resembled that of an interrogators, a fact that no longer bothered me due to Kyota's parenting methods.

"You didn't answer the lower level questions on your entrance test and haven't passed the basic marks," he stated before taking a deep breath, "Accordingly, you will be placed in class 3-E."

I nodded silently, finally bringing my eyes up to meet the man. 'Puppeteer' was the first word that came to mind when I took in his formal attire, calm face and neatly jelled-back hair. 'Troublesome' and 'dictator' were the second and third. The man's profile screamed, 'you have nothing on me' to the rest of the world. I smiled thoughtfully and innocently tilted my head to the side as he analyzed my features, notably searching for any hidden hostility. There was no doubt that the man was manipulative, a difficult opponent for any person. Seemingly debating whether I was a genius or an idiot, he settled on the later, an unwise deduction on his part.

I maintained a fake smile on my soft featured face. A knock sounded at the door to the office and my fake smile widened at the interruption of yet another male. The world has too many people for me to cater to, I sighed.

"Good morning, father," a boy with strawberry blond hair greeted and took a leaning position against the wall.

New information! Puppeteer one has a son, I mused to myself, and they both have purple eyes.

"I suppose I should take my leave now," I said politely and the principle stood up in response.

"Karashi, this is my son, Gakushū."

Said male extended a hand and I was out of my seat in a second, reaching for his wrist. The boy immediately froze at the grip on his wrist and narrowed his eyes as I gave him an innocent, closed-eyed smile. Too easy. His hand was firm, confident like the way he moved suggested but his demeanor was one of a dictator who looked down on his subjects. He was most definitely raised as his father's protege.

"A pleasure," his words were laced in suspicion and faked to the point where the principle had to be deaf not to pick up on it.

His pulse sped up. Liar. He was right to be wary of me.

"The pleasure's mine. The name's Kara," I released him, twirling around to retrieve my bag.

I took my leave, proud of the impression I had left on them both. My plotting smirk was enough to drive the A-class students up the walls as I skipped down the halls. Half an hour until my first class.

How do you find E class?

Think of the worse, most miserable place on the school campus, keep walking deeper into the abyss of hopelessness and turn right. It took roughly 20 minutes to reach the rickety, unstable building that was my classroom. My only response to the horrid sight of a decaying building was three minutes of hysterics with tears in my eyes as I tried to stifle my laughter. Thank goodness no one saw me.

The heat was unbelievable and my school blazer was currently folded in my school bag in an attempt to give me some relief. The building had no air conditioning but still had a few students inside, one being a short, blue-haired boy about my age. At least, I assumed that he was a boy. He was talking to a girl with green hair.

A spiky-haired male stood near the front of the glass, giving everyone and anyone who entered a hard stare. His face was oddly familiar, although, I think I would have remembered it if we'd ever met. Next to him was the star of the show, the being that drew every person's attention without fail. A yellow octopus.

The large grin etched into his bulbous head was enough to fool anyone of his childishness but made his small eyes appear more beady as they observed everything around them. His most startling features by far were the long yellow tentacles that sprouted out from underneath his academic dress. All in all, he looked like pacman with teeth and tentacles.

His appearance finally clicked as a gear in my mind snapped into place. I'd reviewed his file a few weeks before, on the ministry of defense's network. I had accessed that file out of curiosity while hacking for Kyota and it seemed it was well worth the trouble of reading. The powerful being that was responsible for the destruction of 70% of the moon, it seemed, would be my class's sensei.


End file.
